Mandarin Orange Salad

Elegant, Simple Salad Recipe

Restaurant Salad Recipe

This Mandarin Orange Salad is a really delicious with baby wild greens, Mandarin oranges and sugared walnuts.

The sugared walnuts that garnish this salad recipe can also be served as a snack.

The restaurant guests love this salad in the summer as it is very refreshing and flavorful, but I also enjoy it in the winter because it is festive enough for entertaining and simple enough for easy dining.

This salad seems to appeal to all ages and is a great way to incorporate some fruit and nuts into diets.

Prepare the sugared walnuts the day before you plan to make this salad and store them at room temperature. You can also purchase sugared walnuts at a grocery store if you prefer.

Mandarin Orange Salad Recipe

Sugared Walnut Salad Recipe

Preparation time: 20 minutes plus time for preparing sugared walnuts. Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugared walnuts or to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon dried parsley
3/8 teaspoon salt
Small pinch of black pepper
2-3 cups of wild baby greens or mixed greens, rinsed, dried and torn
2-3 green onions, sliced (optional)
1/4 cup celery hearts, sliced on the bias
6-8 ounce can of mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbles (or your favorite bleu cheese0 (optional)

Instructions:

Having once made or acquired your sugared walnuts ...

Combine the oil, vinegars, sugar, parsley, salt and pepper with a wire whisk in a bowl or shake the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate until serving
In a bowl, toss together the salad greens, green onions, celery and oranges and just enough dressing to moisten well
Place the salad on chilled salad plates, mounding to the center of the plates and sprinkle with the sugared walnuts and cheese (if using)